Improvement in knitting-machines



1. LEONARD.

Knitting-Machines.

No'. 135,8213f" Patented Fb.11,1873.

myn u Ill Q Inventor.

E Y ///Qwuh mi f j Attorneys.

' AM. PHoraurHasfMm/c ca Mx (asaomvsppacssq) UNITED STATES- PATENTOFFICE.

JONATHAN LEONARD, OF-ATTIOA, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENTIN K'NlTTlNGrMACHINES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,823, dated February11,1873.

To all whom it may concern: l

Be itknown that I, JONATHAN LEONARD, of Attica, in the county of Senecaand in the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Knitting-Machines; and do hereby decla-re that thefollowing is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing 11a-dto. the accompanying drawing and to the letters of referencemarked thereon making a part of this specication.

The nature of my invention consists in Vcertain improvements upon whatis known as the straight knitting-machine, in eontradistinction to thecircular machine, as will-be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a transverse vertical sectionof my machine. Fig. 3 is a view of the inner side of the carriage. Figs.4, 5, 6, and 7 are detached views of certain parts of the machine. l

A represents the needle-bed, having its sides inclined at right anglestoward each other, with an open space or slot, a, in the center, runningfrom end to end of the bed; Upon the upper edge, where the knitting isdone, and on each side of the bed, is formed a rabbet, b, threeeighthsof an inch wide, and nearly three-sixteenths deep, and on a planeorlevel with the bottom of the grooves in which the needles work. Thisbrin gs the ribs or. guides d between the needles so near the top of theneedle-bed, where the stitches are formed, that the needles will be firmand well supported ,fand the stitchdividers, which fare used Von mostmachines using the latch-needle, are dispensed with.

The advantages arising from this construction ofthe needle-bed arethreefold: First, it removes all obstructions from the work, so that itcan readily be seen by the eye, and in narrowing, widening, or fancywork there is a straight edge to work on, without any obstruction orhinderance in chan ging the stitches from one needle to the other thiswidening and narrowing are necessarily involved in heeling and toeing.Second, it saves an unnecessary expense in the construction of thestitch-dividers; and,third, it allows the stitches to bel brought closertogether than can be done where the stitch-dividers are used. I preferto make the distance between the needles in this machine one-sixteenthof an inch, and I can therefore knit very ne goods, and at the sametime, by withdrawing every other needle, can do coarse work equally aswell on the same machine. The design of the rabbet is, further, to giveroom for the needle-latches to work without being obstructed or injuredby coming in contact with the ribs between the needle-grooves.

B represents the carriage placed on the bed A, and moving back and forthon the same. In the center, upon each side of this carriage, is pivoteda wheel, O, having on its under side a camgroove, e, in which a pinattached to the V-shaped cam D works. This wheel throws the cam up anddown, so that itV will operate the needles ff, or not, as may bedesired. The needles ff are thewell-known latch-needles, and need nodescription. The cam D is held by suitable guides in a V-shaped mortisein the carriage, so that it can move up and down in the same. the WheelC is a cross, making four arms, h It, which arms, as the carriage ismoved back and forth, come in contact with latches E E at the ends ofthe machine, turning the wheel one-quarter around, thereby throwing thecam D either up or down. The advantage of this wheel is the accuracy,ease, and simplicity with which the machine can be regulated for roundor tubular as well jas flat work. The needle-elevators G consist each ofa 'thin piece of tin or other material that rests on thenee dle-bed, andpushes the needles up ready to set up the work. The gathering-cam la onthe un elevators is their simplicity and cheapness. H

is the set-up, used for setting up stockings and other articles which itis desired to start with a selva-ge edge. It consists simply of a pieceof tin, or other material, with wire hooks soldered onto it. On thecenter of the carriage, at the top, is a yarn-guide, I, made stationaryso as to do away with all springs and complicated appliances incident tothe employment of a movable yarn-guide. On the under side of thecarriage is attached the face-plate n,

On the upper or outer side of which is to he one-eighth ot'a11i11ehthick. 0n the inner side. ot' this plate, and at. either side ot' thecam, the plate is cutaway one-sixteenth ot' an inch deep. --In thesecut-away parts are placed the stiteh-lengtheners m m, which are made ofthin plates of steel one-sixteenth of an inch thick on the inner edge,and placed in aninclined position, so that as the needle-heel passesdown the cam it has no corners nor separate cams to strike, but slidessmoothly, creating no jar. 'J'he needle-heels should project high enoughabove the needle-bedto fairly and smoothly strike both the face-plateand stitch cam or lengthener. The stitch-lengtheners slide in adirection parallel to the camedge of the face-plate, so that, as theyare lowered to lengthen the stitch, they form a continuation of saidcam-edge parallel to the` working-face ot.' the cam D that elevates theneedles. The stitch-Iengtheners'are moved up and down and fastened atany point by means of set-screws p p, passing through inclined slots inthe side of the carriage. rlhe gatherf in g-cain k above mentioned isonly a separated part ot' the cam D that elevates the needles, or,perhaps more properly, a part of the earriage, so constructed andarranged that its upper edge will lit the lower side of the needlecamwhen it is moved down for the purpose of elevating the. needles. It is alittle thinner than the needle-cam, so as to admit the needleelevatorsunder it, and is designed to gather the needles up to the cam D, whenthe stitchlengtheners have been lowered, so as to make a very longstitch, or so far that the heels of the needles would be drawn below thelower edge of the cam D.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The wheel C, provided on the under side with a cam-groove, e, and on theupper side with cross-arms h h, in combination with the cam D andlatches E E, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this20th day of April, 1872. f

. JONATHAN LEONARD.

Witnesses:

F. H. STEIGMEYER, C. SHEELEY.

